Manchester City have rejected an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri.
Soccer
City are open to selling the Spaniard, but would demand more than £60m before sanctioning a deal. The 30-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and is yet to sign a new deal, with speculation rife about his future this summer.
It looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination, but La Liga rivals Barcelona are now leading the race after securing the player’s approval to open negotiations with City. The offer was submitted on Friday.
Barca sources had initially indicated there were no guarantees any deal would be made, but the situation is now developing rapidly. The Catalan club confirmed on Friday that conversations with the player’s representatives remain ongoing, while talks with Real Madrid have officially ended.
Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were further disrupted by a hamstring issue.
However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.
He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to link back up with his City teammates early next week.
Approaching the second week of August in the transfer window, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri’s future swiftly in order to secure a replacement.
Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, though the French club’s £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.